March 5, 2012

"We didn't know what evil was until that day," Jessica Martinez spoke of the loss of innocence -- that day more than 30 years ago when her friend, Amy Yachimec, disappeared.

The childhood friends rode the bus together, played hopscotch and tether ball and were Girl Scouts together.

"Amy was 13 years old when she disappeared on November 6th, 1981," said Phoenix Police Sergeant Darren Burch. "She was last seen in her family's apartment at about 10:00 at night getting ready for bed."

The family lived in an apartment near 35th Avenue and Van Buren. Burch said investigators believe Amy met with foul play.

"Someone killed Amy, buried her body in the desert and, unfortunately, the body has never been discovered," he said.

Investigators need to find her body so they can look for evidence and pursue charges.

Martinez said Yachimec was a timid little girl.

"She was very shy," said Martinez. "She was friendly. She had these really big, blue eyes that would look up at you. Some people may have forgotten about her, but I haven't."